A story

Back when John and I were first married and lived in Georgia at Koinonia Partners, we lived on $7 a week per person, and money was very tight.  As Christmas approached I longed for the ability to get John a present.  What he really wanted was a circular saw.  Ha!  At West Lumber, in Americus, the cheapest one cost, if I remember, around $55.  Desperate, I bundled up the girls on Christmas Eve day, asked for the use of a vehicle, and took my collection of silver dollars (that were no longer produced) and other coins up to West Lumber.  They all knew John, as he did all the ordering of materials for the Koinonia construction crew.  I spilled all my coinage out on the counter and asked if it would be enough to buy a skilsaw.  Well, the fellow at the register called his boss over, and they said there was no way they could take this pile of stuff as payment for an item.  Then a stranger came over, hearing my pleas, and said he would take all my coins and pay for the saw for me!  I remember showing him the medal I had won at the University of Delaware for french, hoping it was worth something extra.

So I got the saw and we drove home.  Then I began wondering if really those silver coins and all were worth far more than the saw.....you know how that is.  But I realized they couldn't be worth what the gift was worth to me.  When I got home the phone rang - it was the folks at West Lumber who asked if they could upgrade the saw to one with a blade guard, as a gift to John from them.  So we turned around and drove back and got the more expensive model from them.  John was very surprised and delighted the next morning!  And I had learned another lesson in values, and kindness, and grace.

This is the very same saw John used to make the new set of steps for the parsonage last week.

"You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."

 2 Cor. 9:11